Kansas Senate committee scheduled to vote on gun measure

AP Wire

2 weeks ago

Rifles are for sale at a gun shop in Merrimack, New Hampshire, on November 5, 2016.
According to the proprietor, October's sales in his store were double that of 2015, with customers expressing anxiety about the November election. / AFP / DOMINICK REUTER (Photo credit should read DOMINICK REUTER/AFP/Getty Images)

TOPEKA, Kan. — A Kansas legislative committee is preparing to vote on a bill designed to ensure that fugitives and domestic abusers who illegally have guns are prosecuted.

The Senate Federal and State Affairs Committee is scheduled to take up the bill Monday. The measure passed the House last month.

The bill would make it illegal under state law for fugitives or people who’ve been convicted of domestic violence within the past five years to possess a gun.

The ban also would apply to immigrants living in the U.S. illegally and people who are subject to a court restraining order to prevent them from harassing or stalking others.

Supporters say the change will allow authorities to prosecute cases in state courts rather than federal courts that sometimes are too busy to handle them.